In a Suo Moto petition (PIL No. 3/2023) filed by the High Court of Mumbai, an order was passed on December 11, 2023, directing measures to reduce air and noise pollution.
In light of the order passed by the High Court on December 11, 2023, and taking into account complaints received by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation from citizens regarding air/noise pollution and blasting activities, a ‘Standard Operating Procedure’ (SOP) was developed to find permanent solutions and measures. The SOP was approved by Municipal Commissioner Dr. Kailas Shinde on June 19, 2024. According to this SOP, construction professionals are required to strictly adhere to the procedures, and necessary measures must be implemented.
To ensure strict adherence to the SOP, a ‘Task Force’ was established at the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation level under issue. As per the SOP, the Assistant Commissioner and departmental officers of the concerned department must conduct site inspections and submit their reports to the Assistant Director, Town Planning, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. A checklist for the inspection of sites has been prepared. Accordingly, the Assistant Commissioners and departmental officers of all concerned departments are required to regularly inspect ongoing construction sites in their areas and ensure compliance.
As per this, inspections were conducted at 78 ongoing construction sites across various departments of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. During these inspections, violations of the SOP were found based on the checklist, and a total fine of Rs 1.17 crore was imposed on the developers. The relevant departments, under the instructions of the Municipal Commissioner, issued notices to the concerned officers on November 29, 2024, directing them to collect the penalty from the construction professionals.
“Until now these inspections were done at the ward level but now the headquarters is looking into the adherence of the SOPs. Numerous violations were found based on the checklist already provided to the developers. Fines were levied accordingly,” said an official from the corporation. Of the 78 construction spots inspected, 13 of the sites were in the Airoli/Digha area, 9 were in Ghansoli, 6 were in Koparkhairane, 7 were in Vashi, 18 were in Sanpada, 24 were in Nerul and 10 were in Belapur.
